Deoghar, Aug 24 (IANS) A massive wave of faith and devotion swept through Deoghar on Monday, as thousands of devotees gathered at the holy city of Baba Baidyanath, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, on the occasion of fourth and final Monday of the holy month of Shravan.
The grand congregation marked the concluding phase of the 2026 Shravani Mela, with more than three lakh devotees expected to offer holy water at the revered shrine.
The chants of “Har Har Mahadev” and “Bol Bam” reverberated across Deoghar and along the nearly 105-kilometre Kanwariya route from Sultanganj. The significance of the final Monday drew devotees from different parts of the country, with Kanwariyas beginning to arrive in large numbers from midnight on Sunday.
By early Monday morning, the queue of devotees waiting to offer water to Baba Baidyanath had stretched for more than four kilometres, reaching Kumetha. More than 55 lakh devotees have already visited the temple during the ongoing Shravan month, while the administration expects more than three lakh Kanwariyas to perform Jal Abhishek on the final Monday.
According to the temple’s established tradition, the doors of the shrine were opened at 4:13 a.m. Priests then performed the special Sardari Puja, or government puja, amid the chanting of Tantric mantras and Vedic hymns. Soon after the ritual was completed, the temple was opened for the general devotees.
To regulate the enormous crowd inside the temple and ensure the safe offering of holy water, an external Argha system is being used. Kanwariyas who have undertaken the arduous 105-kilometre journey on foot from Sultanganj carrying sacred Ganga water are offering it into the Argha, through which the water flows directly onto the Jyotirlinga.
Devotees are also showing immense enthusiasm for the traditional ritual of tying a sacred red thread between the temple spires of Baba Baidyanath and Mata Parvati on the final Monday.
With a huge gathering, strong sunlight and humid weather conditions, the Deoghar district administration has stepped up arrangements for crowd management and security. In addition to the 26 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) already deployed, a new special QRT has been stationed at the Queue Complex and Foot Over Bridge to ensure the continuous movement of devotees.
Special arrangements for drinking water and water sprinkling have also been made to provide relief to devotees waiting in long queues.
Given the uninterrupted flow of pilgrims, the temple doors will not be closed during the afternoon, and Jal Abhishek will continue without a break. The evening doors will be closed between 8 PM and 9 PM, after which the special divine adornment and worship of Baba Baidyanath will begin.
As part of the tradition, Baba Baidyanath will be adorned with a special flower crown prepared with devotion by inmates of Deoghar Jail. Following the Maha Aarti, devotees will be able to witness the beautifully adorned form of Baba between approximately 9 PM and 9:30 PM. The temple will subsequently close for the night following the Shayan Aarti.
The final Monday of Shravan has thus brought the 2026 Shravani Mela to a spiritually charged culmination, with lakhs of devotees converging on Deoghar to seek the blessings of Baba Baidyanath.
–IANS
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